1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooling device for cooling a sheet heated by a fixing device and an image forming apparatus provided with the cooling device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cooling device for cooling a sheet heated by a fixing device and an image forming apparatus provided with the cooling device have been known.
Patent Literature 1 discloses an image forming apparatus provided with a heat exchanging device. This heat exchanging device includes a cooling belt stretched across a plurality of rollers, a conveying belt for conveying a sheet while holding the sheet between the cooling belt and the conveying belt, and a cooling plate disposed inside the cooling belt and having a flow passage through which a cooling liquid flows formed therein. The sheet conveyed by the conveying belt is brought into contact with a lower surface (cooling surface) of the cooling plate through the cooling belt, whereby heat of the sheet is transferred to the cooling liquid having flowed into the flow passage, and the sheet is cooled. In this heat exchanging device and the image forming apparatus, in order to further improve a contact state between the sheet and the cooling belt and a contact state between the cooling belt and the cooling plate, press rollers applying a force onto the cooling surface of the cooling plate from inside the conveying belt are provided at appropriate positions.